Uganda

Women mediators have become pivotal in conflict monitoring, addressing issues with local authorities and participating in village and sub-county meetings. Women�s representation on peace committees in Kotido, Lira, Kyegegwa, Adjumani, and Yumbe increased from 35% in 2023 to 44% in 2024, improving coordination between district and community levels with a gendered focus on peace and security. Women-led community action plans and capacity-building initiatives have enhanced knowledge and engagement in transitional justice, challenging traditional gender norms. Women mediators successfully resolved 492 cases involving land disputes, resource distribution, child neglect, and gender-based violence, demonstrating their effectiveness in local conflict resolution. (SDG 5, 10, 16). UN Women through implementing partners, Coalition for Action on 1325 (COACT) and Women International Peace Center (COACT) financially and technically supported capacity building initiatives in targeted districts of Yumbe, Kyegegwa, Lira, Moroto, Napak, Kotido, and Adjumani which enhanced knowledge and skills of 321 individuals (311F, 10M) including 19 young women and two women with disabilities, enabling them to participate as key actors in conflict resolution. The training provided a platform for women to share experiences, reflect on peace and security issues, and identify challenges and opportunities for participation in decision-making.

In 2023, Uganda strengthened its approach to gender responsive access to justice by developing a costed strategy for institutionalization of special courts for Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the Judiciary and an implementation plan for the Fast Track for Management of GBV cases in the Judiciary. With the CO�s support, the judiciary has put in place Guidelines and Standards articulating all the steps required to deliver quality integrated justice services throughout the special service delivery and accountability systems/ special courts. This involved a comprehensive literature review, lessons from comparative jurisdictions including a multi-institution top-management learning visit to South Africa to understudy GBV response and in-country field visits informed the formulation of the institutionalization options. Top management in the Judiciary led the process facilitated by a multi-institutional steering committee chaired by the Principal Judge. Several discussions within the Judiciary and with relevant justice actors (including UPF, ODPP, DGAL, Uganda Prisons Service, Justice Centres Uganda, Uganda Law Society, Judicial Training Institute etc) took place culminating in the Judiciary top management�s endorsement of the model on 14th February 2023 In Uganda, formal justice institutions especially the courts tend to be located in urban areas. Accessing them, require both fees and transport from the rural to the urban centres. These costs disproportionately affect women given they are mostly engaged in unpaid work and have less control over household income. UN Women partnered with legal service providers such as Refugee Law Project, Uganda Law Society, Justice Centres Uganda and other to provide legal aid services through community outreaches and mobile legal aid clinics in the districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, Masaka, Tororo, Abim, Nakapiripirit, Nabilatuk and Amudat in Karamoja, Amuria and Kaberamaido in Eastern and Kitgum, Gulu and Pader in Northerun Uganda. Subsequently, 15,620 people (F-10,617, M-5,003) in the program districts accessed justice and referral services with support from UN Women and partners. Women and girls represented 68% of all people who received legal aid services during this period. Out of the 15,620 people, 429 (284F; 208M) were refugees who received legal services enabling them to access justice. This result contributes to SDG indicator 16.3.3: Proportion of victims of violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms and to target 5.1 of SDG5: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The use of community-based structures including paralegals and community legal volunteers was instrumental in taking legal services closer to community members who would otherwise find difficulties in accessing formal courts, majority of them women and girls.